Chapter 260

Eric looked at the soldiers around him.

They were all trudging along, panting heavily under the weight of their burdens.

‘A soldier carrying gear can march about 4 kilometers in an hour and can move approximately 20 kilometers in a straight line in a day.’

Of course, if they could march 4 kilometers in an hour, then marching for just 8 hours a day would yield a distance of 32 kilometers.

However, learning that such gear weighs between a minimum of 10 kg and a maximum of 40 kg, and that it isn’t designed to only take the shortest routes, reveals why they can’t cover dozens of kilometers in a straight line each day.

‘What nonsense! If you’re a soldier, you should be able to march for about 12 hours a day, right?’

Of course, there were commanders who thought this way, and some of them even translated that thinking into orders.

“Ugh!”

“Damn it!”

“That guy is running away!”

They had no choice but to either die alongside the soldiers they were leading or run away while the soldiers fell.

‘In fact, it’s somewhat less vile for a commanding officer to die alongside the soldiers than to often be captured, pay a ransom, and return to their homeland without shame.’

‘Marching isn’t just about reaching the destination.’

‘They must also scout the surroundings periodically during the march. After arriving, they need to set up the encampment and prepare dinner. They have to leave enough stamina for night watch duties and be prepared for potential enemy ambushes.’

Thus, the advance of the Lanzo Republic’s army, numbering around 8,000, was not particularly swift, and the two men representing the military and the scholarly were afforded the time to engage in a lengthy discussion.

Eric surveyed his surroundings from his saddle.

There was no atmosphere suggesting an ambush by the imperial army.

Although he was deprived of freedom of movement, it wasn’t as if Brnoa had tightly bound him, shaved his blonde hair, and confined him in armor.

The Lanzo Republic was a country where the pride of the citizens regarding their right to elect their own leaders ran deep, and even a general who treated a legislator in such a manner could expect stones thrown at him.

As a result, Eric enjoyed all the freedoms he could within the limits of not being able to see Valencianus again, keeping close by Brnoa’s side as they rode.

“Brnoa. The empire is an unbeatable enemy. It’s time to face reality. We do not have the right to kill 100,000 young lives. This is not a defensive battle; it’s an invasion!”

Brnoa ignored Eric’s words, and Eric raised his voice even more.

“The Solletarass Empire is no longer hostile to us. Do you not understand what that means? It means they won’t invade us, branding us as traitors. We should be building connections through the Church of Light and should be banding together against Infiltrators.”

When the word “Infiltrators” was mentioned, a brief flash of emotion crossed Brnoa’s face.

However, it was short-lived, as he quickly pushed that feeling below the surface and spoke seriously.

“That’s exactly the problem, Eric. They are not even hostile towards us now. That means they refuse to listen to whatever we say.”

“You frustrating friend!”

Eric burst out in anger, but Brnoa remained unyielding.

“This is not peace. It’s a postponed death. I cannot raise children in a land where they might be trampled by the empire’s knights at any moment. Now is the time for proactive expansion and to cross borders in solidarity.”

“I don’t know when you started using complicated language in front of me. Are you willing to throw away the lives of you and the soldiers because of the pride of those old legislators?”

“Isn’t that civil control? The fact that I am not overpowering you by force is the same principle. We cannot throw away our lives for pride, can we?”

“But…,” Brnoa began, breaking the flow, “if we continue like this, we will certainly lose both our pride and our lives. The Blood Emperor, or should I now call him the Holy Emperor? The young Emperor Jeilliris of the Empire has received the crown from Saint Matheos. This gives them a pretext to intervene in all countries that believe in the Church of Light.”

Eric exhaled a heavy breath, and Brnoa nodded once.

“You know what happened to Doroysen, don’t you? The Pillar of the nation, the Sword King, is dead, and economic subjugation has started. The person who led that agreement was the Conqueror Duke Valencianus you went to see, along with the enemy knight, Tenitia.”

“……”

“Eric. I knew you were a mage.”

Brnoa stated bluntly, shaking off any lingering affection.

Eric widened his eyes and hardened his beautiful face.

“You…”

“I do not wish to think that you view us through some sense of chosen people. Please continue to stay as a friend from now on.”

* * *

“What kind of nonsensical plan is that? Countless commoners will die.”

Lady Tenitia glared sharply, her eyes wide.

“Valen. When the Lanzo Republic army fights the Infiltrators, won’t they be greatly corrupted? In that case, we could end up with high-ranking Infiltrators who are very hostile to the empire.”

Lady Sererassie also made a troubled expression.

“Will they even retreat in the first place? This land is an ethnic boundary and inheritance is tangled, so the Great Lords do not intervene easily. Once they enter and finish building their fortifications, they will have land and vassals; why would they return to their homeland?”

Helena also had a doubtful expression.

The knights, mages, and field commanders glared at me from beneath the tent’s roof.

I attempted to hide my slight fear and calmly chose my words.

“First of all, Lady Helena, you are right in saying that. However, these people aren’t like us; they don’t have a feudal monarchy under an absolute ruler. If their homeland is in crisis, they must return.”

“What do you mean by that? If the commander has deployed, aren’t they supposed to continue?”

Helena banged her fist against her chest, as if she couldn’t understand anything.

I pointed out with my fingers.

“Right now, the mechanical knights are my army, your knight order belongs to His Majesty, and the ones you brought along are your soldiers. I hesitate to phrase it like this, but they are a property that can be inherited, sold, lent, or given as a gift.”

Lady Tenitia tilted her head.

“That’s true, isn’t it? Of course, sales and gifts rarely happen, but inheritance and lending are quite common, aren’t they?”

Lady Tenitia was also someone who had been lent to me by Jeilliris, and the inheritance of loyalty was the core principle of feudalism.

“Thank you for saying that, Count. Anyway, this is common sense. Once a commander sets out with the army, they should take over management from that point on; but these guys don’t.”

Helena, with a look of disbelief, asked, “So, if the commander of the republic army wins, do they return to their homeland?”

I nodded.

“Exactly.”

She made a face of hitting a wall.

“What kind of ridiculous country supports such a thing?”

“Anyway, the plan to drive all the Infiltrators crawling out of the Magical Realms into their country is a perfectly reasonable strategy to win without shedding a drop of blood. There’s no way they can return after coming this far, right? It’s exhilarating.”

“Is that so?”

Helena tilted her head, and I looked at Sister Sererassie.

One person for now.

“I heard earlier that all their soldiers feel like purification soldiers. Of course, some casualties may be unavoidable while fighting the Infiltrators, but that part isn’t our concern. The important thing is that the Lanzo Republic army won’t be easily corrupted, right?”

At that moment, an unexpected ally emerged.

A high-ranking priest who had followed Helena defended me.

“By the way, the words of His Grace, Duke Valencianus, are correct. The republics of the West, including Lanzo, possess somewhat distorted, or rather, regionally specific belief systems. They’ve managed to survive without knights or mages against the Magical Realms and enemy nations.”

“Moreover, Sister mentioned that what emerges from this Magical Realm is closer to beasts than Infiltrators. Don’t worry about corruption.”

I asserted firmly, and Sister Sererassie seemed to agree as she nodded.

Rudi tended to keep his words to himself in circumstances like this, so only one person remained.

“Lady Tenitia.”

“…”

She was a knight among knights.

Even when capturing those who insulted her or herself on the streets, she would be horrified at using ordinary citizens in cowardly tactics.

Even I, pushing this forward, felt a prick in my stomach, so it would be impossible for her to comprehend the situation.

But aside from this, there was no alternative.

The moment the blood of imperial subjects flowed, I had no choice but to fight.

This was the only way to respond to the request of Councillor Eric.

At least that battle was for protecting their homeland.

Just as I was thinking of relieving the burden in her heart by resorting to the authority of the royal family, Lady Tenitia broke the silence first.

“Your Grace.”

Her blood-red eyes contained a poignant resolve.

“While you prepare, I will guard your back.”

“Count…!”

It was always a dignified voice, and she wore a proud smile.

“In fact, I do not fully understand why Councillor Eric’s request was accepted by you.”

“…?”

“How can one let an enemy who has crossed the border go unscathed? Just as a knight must bear the responsibility for the outcome of actions taken upon orders of the lord, so too must a soldier deployed under the command of the nation.”

“Indeed. You are right, Count.”

“Mercy from a knight is only offered to those in a state deserving of mercy.”

Lady Tenitia concluded her statement, and I chose my words carefully to alleviate the guilt of those gathered here.

After all, this operation that used defenseless subjects as hostages was not a pleasant strategy.

And it was more than enough for me to feel that uncomfortable feeling alone.

Bang!

“Since Lanzo is a country that elects its own leaders, they should take responsibility if they elect foolish leaders.”

I forcefully placed a war game piece onto the map.

“Now, let’s make them bear that responsibility.”

* * *

The Banner Knight of Signain was deeply moved by my words, promising to handle not only the enemy forces but also the Magical Realms within our territory.

“I will inform the Duke and ensure additional tributes to the imperial court. You may use this route.”

He assisted me, Sister Sererassie, Lady Tenitia, and several mechanical knights in safely reaching the Magical Realms through the scouts.

The Magical Realm was wide open in the middle of a plain, and Sister Sererassie and I looked down upon the spectacle from a rocky mountain.

Horribly deformed monsters crawled out of the dried and twisted fields.

Their heights ranged from about 3 to 5 meters, and they had the heads of large horned bulls, thick fur, muscular bodies, and their limbs were covered in scales.

They had two pairs of eyes, and there were noticeably enormous ones among them that also possessed two pairs of horns.

Finally, their color was purple.

“Isn’t it terrible?”

The sight of those hulking figures emerging from the nest in the open field was grotesque.

The surrounding land was turning purple, and I could see a strange purple pond bubbling there, indicating that soon more of those creatures would likely be born there.

It was something I couldn’t bear to watch with my own eyes.

“I’ll leave the rest of the western path and burn everything else, so Sister, take out the ones that are still conscious.”

Sister Sererassie nodded while grasping the brim of her hat.

Yellow eyes gleamed with blue reflections, and sparks crackled from the gem atop her staff.

“Don’t you need my help?”

I smiled teasingly, drawing upon the power of the flame.

“Help?”

With a sensation that split my pupils vertically, barbaric greed and desire surged through my mind like flames.

In the past, I would have already sprouted horns and scales all over my body, but now I didn’t even tremble while breathing.

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

Just by thinking “burn,” fireballs erupted from the air and quickly took the shape of a androgynous boy revealing his upper body.

“Raarrr!”

“Raarrr!”

“Raarrr!”

Dozens of fire spirits burst into laughter and tore through the wind.

“Woaaaah?”

“Raarrr!”

The monster things looked up at us, baring their teeth, but already the fire spirits had begun to dance in the field.

Flames!

The spirits greedily consumed the dry grass and shrubs, swelling in size until they became large enough to look down upon the monsters below.

Crash!

I clenched my fist in the air, calling forth the power of incantation.

Golden mirages shimmered, and the mana from below the mountain seeped into the spirits.

“Raarrr!”

The spirits erupted in laughter as they breathed fire, and the vast plain was swiftly engulfed in flames.

The sparks that began to scatter became fireballs, which then turned into a wall of flames, blazing brightly.

The sight of the red shadow cast across the sky beyond the horizon was magnificent.

The only path left untouched by the flames was exactly the direction of Lanzo.

“Woaaaah!”

“Raarrr!”

The giant monsters began to leap and run down the narrow path.

Some of the huge ones attempted to overcome their instincts and guard the nest, but—

Zzzziiiiing—!

The white ray shot from the end of Sister Sererassie’s raised staff pierced through the heads of those creatures.

“Impressive. Is that the new one you received?”

Sister Sererassie replied with a coy smile.

“It’s a spell developed collaboratively by the Destruction School, the Thunder School, and the Flame School. A triple attribute spell combining the spear of power, discharge, and heat ray.”

“What’s it called?”

“It’s called the Luminous Piercer. It can pierce through most things.”

I chuckled softly while looking down at the spectacle below.

The entire plain was ablaze, far away there were the 100,000 troops and the Lanzo Republic, and the horde of monsters was headed toward the west.

At least we had made a start.

I hoped the end would be in my hands as well.

“Yeah. I hope whatever blocks our path can be pierced through.”